Our beloved Gator Growl has been transformed over the past century. What was once songs and chants around a bonfire became one of the hottest shows on any college campus. Join us on a walk down memory lane.

by Barbara Drake (MFA ’04)

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Gator Growl, the nation’s largest student-run pep rally. It evolved from student cheers around a bonfire to an elaborate production headlined by entertainers like Bob Hope, George Burns, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Jeff Foxworthy, Dave Chappelle and Sinbad.

Here’s a look back at memorable moments Gators have shared with us on social media.

Dangerfield Gets Respect (1981)

“I can’t get no respect. I said to a bartender, ‘Make me a Zombie.’ He said, ‘God beat me to it.’”

Self-deprecating zingers were Rodney Dangerfield’s trademark, an act he honed in the Catskills in the 1950s and ’60s. The bug-eyed comic’s performance in the 1986 film “Back to School” may have been inspired by the 1981 Gator Growl, where he stood onstage in a rumpled black suit and fired one-liners.

“He did more than 50 minutes of material in front of 60,000 people,” Gregory Hardy (BS ’95, MA ’02) tweeted when Dangerfield passed in 2021. “If that wasn’t his largest in-person live audience, I’d love to know what was.”

By the end, Gators were screaming, “Rod-ney, Rod-ney,” and the humbled comedian shuffled back for an encore. “I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life,” Dangerfield admitted to the crowd.

Robin Williams and ‘Mr. Happy’ (1982)

Robin Williams was a force of nature at 1982’s Growl. Then 31 and riding his “Mork & Mindy” fame, his improvisational brilliance, as well as racy stream-of-consciousness, were unleashed.

“This is great with an echo,” Williams riffed. “I go, ‘Ooh, wow!’ I feel like I’m having an orgasm in front of 65,000 people. I feel like smoking a cigarette and asking, ‘Was it good for me?’”

UF administrators and some alumni were shocked by Williams’ material, including repeated references to a part of his anatomy he dubbed “Mr. Happy.” The student section, however, wasn’t fazed.

“I have NEVER laughed so hard in my life,” wrote Cindy Chytil (BS ’81).

“Hands down the absolute best,” agreed Jane Johnson (BS ’86). “Very glad I was sitting on the student side and not anywhere near my parents who were on the alumni side.”

“The Gator Growl against which all others are measured,” commented Ana Wallrapp (BA ’77, MA ’79). “None have come close.”

Celebrity Cameos: ‘Let the Gator Growl’

“I always liked the videos of celebs saying, ‘Let the Gator growl,’” recalled Kimberly Farinas (BA ’97, MEd ’98).

Notables who prerecorded spots include:

• U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama
• TV hosts David Letterman, Katie Couric, Alex Trebek and Conan O’Brien
• Entertainers Adam Sandler, Jason Alexander, Jonah Hill and the Wayans Brothers
• Athletes Shaquille O’Neal and Emmitt Smith (BSR ’96)
• Model Cindy Crawford
• U.S. senators John McCain and Mitt Romney

Before They Were Famous (1987, 1988)

Growl producers had a knack for nabbing comics on the cusp of stardom. When Jay Leno headlined in 1987, he was known for Doritos commercials and standup on “The David Letterman Show.” Three years later, he replaced Johnny Carson as the host of “The Tonight Show.”

In 1988, Growl producers signed a little-known New York comic. His name? Jerry Seinfeld.

“I still remember his ‘hair in the shower’ bit,” wrote Sara Prince (BS ’90).

“He was in awe of performing in front of a stadium full of Gators,” remembered Michele Brodsky (BS ’89).

Nine months later, “Seinfeld” — “a show about nothing” — debuted on NBC.

Everybody Hates Raymond (1998)

The Growl audience was tough, and it didn’t hold back when four comedians shared the stage in 1998. Dave Chappelle, Carlos Mencia and Larry the Cable Guy kept fans happy, but the biggest star, Ray Romano, prompted massive booing with talk of his kids.

“He was absolutely terrible, and his material was, at best, for the ‘other side of the stadium,’” wrote Matt Lawson (BS ’00).

“I wanna say he had a photo slideshow of his twins or something,” added Erin Bearss (BA ’00).

“I remember people filing out of the stadium,” wrote Karen Dieter (BA ’98, MEd ’99). “Think we left and went to the [Purple] Porpoise.”

Even Romano is haunted by his disastrous Growl performance. When the New York Times asked him in 2017 to name his single worst night of standup, he responded: “There was one, after ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ had been on for a year, out at the University of Florida’s Gator Growl. It’s in the stadium, like, 30,000 people, Dave Chappelle, Larry the Cable Guy and me. Five minutes in, I heard a woman yell out, ‘You better start getting funny.’”

Highs and Lows of ‘Mr. Pudding’ (1984, 2002)

Bill Cosby doesn’t have much to laugh about these days, but in 1984, “Mr. Pudding” was revered for his warm, home-grown humor.

“[Cosby] has a mainstream brand of humor that will please everybody,” Growl producer Jeff Sandler (BA ’80, JD ’84) told the Alligator in October 1984. “His comedy will be for adults. But it certainly won’t be dirty or offensive.”

To this day, many Gators cite his two performances, in 1984 and 2002, as peak Growl.

“The best from my time at UF was Bill Cosby,” wrote Valerie Hofferica Reeves (BA ’85).

“He was hilarious,” commented Nini DeBraganza Peterson (BS ’01, MS ’04, PHD ’10).

Sister Hazel (1997, 2013)

Homegrown alternative rock band Sister Hazel is remembered with fondness. In 1997, despite a busy tour schedule after their hit “All for You,” lead vocalist Drew Copeland (BS ’95) and his bandmates couldn’t resist performing at Growl, and even pulled perhaps the biggest prank in Growl history.

“I remember sitting in the stands, and a video was being played suggesting Sister Hazel couldn’t attend,” wrote Deardra Wilcox. “Then the curtains opened, and it was Sister Hazel!! The crowd was so loud, cheering for their appearance. So much love.”

“I was there,” wrote David Bilu (BS ’04). “I still get goosebumps thinking about the entire crowd singing the breakdown part of the song [All for You].”

Copeland chokes up thinking about that evening.

“My parents (God rest their souls) still lived in the house I grew up in and said they could hear the entire stadium singing our songs back to us,” he wrote. “This is what Gator Growl used to be like. It was awesome.”